I finally got ahold a DNR officer to ask him about blue gill as bait and had some questions about tip ups and tip downs.
He confirmed that you can use blue gill caught by hook as bait on your tip up. That blue gill just counts towards your limit.
Then I asked him about tip ups and tip downs. He tells me that you are only allowed 3 tip ups max on the Mississippi and 2 fishing poles. I was hoping you could just use 5 tip ups and no poles. Oh well, no big deal. Then I asked him about tip downs. According to him, tip downs don't count as tip ups. He says since tip downs use a rod they don't count as a tip up. I asked him several questions trying to convince him other wise, but he says they have talked about this subject many times and there's no room for debate.